Infection Series (Book 1): Preservation

by Nelson, S. L.

  Lucas pulled himself up, watching as the infected made their way, moaning a groaning toward the tree.

  “That was close.” Lucas looked at Colby and smiled.

  “Yeah, I can’t believe that branch held you.” Colby quipped, “You must weigh as much as an elephant, as big as you are.”

  Lucas could see the slight tremors run through Colby’s arms, whether from fear or exhaustion, he didn’t know. “Thanks for your help buddy.” Lucas stared at Colby, trying to catch his eyes. “Your quick thinking kept me from running around the neighborhood with a zombie hand attached to my shoe.”

  Colby smiled, relieved that they were out of immediate danger, for now. “You think we can make it over the wall in this?”

  Looking down at the crowd gathering, “We have no choice. Those barks are bringing more infected our way. It’s too late to try to make a run for it.” Pointing up, “Let’s take a look before the smell knocks us out of the tree.”

  Colby started moving up the tree, slipping through the branches at a steady pace. Lucas crashed and cracked past branches, the width of his shoulders taking the brunt of the impact. They kept climbing util the tip of the tree started to sway. Stopping, they measured the distance from the branch they were in and the tip of the wall.

  “Look at that. The tree is leaning toward the wall. We can just about step out onto the top.” Lucas smiled at their change of luck. “Switch spots with me, I’ll try first.”

  Lucas kept one hand on the tree as he carefully stepped along the branch, “These branches are really flimsy.” Lucas muttered. His fingers were a few inches off the tree when he took a few quick steps and jumped to the retaining wall. “Jeez, it like a balance beam. My feet are wider than this block!” Gaining his balance, he looked over to see Colby snickering at him.

  “It ain’t easy being big, huh?” Colby shook his head in amazement and made his way along the branch with a bit more grace. Lucas held his breath and jumped into the waiting arms of Lucas.

  “Impressive,” Lucas offered, “But you have two shoes on, I’m practically barefoot.” Lucas laughed when Colby rolled his eyes but quickly stopped when he heard the pounding of hands on the wall just below them. Looking down, he saw that the majority of them followed their progress from the tree to the wall.

  “Let’s go.” Lucas ordered. He started walking quickly, arms out to the side to help keep his balance.

  “What if we lead them to a break in the wall and they get out.” Colby asked, looking down at his feet and trying his best not to look at the infected people following them.

  “As soon as we can find a place to slip down we will, just keep moving.” Lucas alternated his focus from the wall to the infected. They had been making their way for the last twenty minutes when he heard the sound of an engine heading their way.

  “Is that a car? Do you think they’ll help?” Colby asked excitedly.

  Lucas grinned, then laughed, “Yeah, they’ll help.” he responded when Cody popped his body out of the passenger side window and started waving his hands. The car was speeding across the grass quickly. Before he know it, Jake was waving, a mad grin on his face as he stopped below the pair on the wall.

  “Well, fancy meeting you two here!” Jake chuckled, “Want a ride?”

  Chapter 35

  Bethann rushed between the houses, eager to put as much distance between them and Ian as possible. She felt awful for leaving Veronica alone but they agreed that Daisy came first. Bethann held tightly onto her shoulder. She tried to apply pressure but couldn’t reach the spot where the bullet had lodged in. “Daisy, we’re going to have to try to get into one of these houses.” Bethann kept looking around them, making sure that nothing else would sneak up on them.

  “Why?” Daisy was scared. She was holding onto Bethann’s shirt, needing the anchor it provided.

  Bethann smiled at the question, “I need to find some medical supplies for the wound I have.”

  Daisy bit her lip, “Are you going to be ok?”

  Bethann stopped walking and turned to face Daisy, “I am going to be ok but I’m going to need your help.” Looking at the row of house before them she decided to start with the first one.

  “Stay close but be ready to run if we have to.” Bethann walked to the back door of a single story ranch. Reaching out a hand, she tested the door knob but stopped when Daisy asked a very good question.

  “What if someone is in there and we let it out?” Daisy sill wasn’t sure what to call the people. She did know that they were scary and she didn’t want to have to run again.

  “Good thinking.” Bethann looked around the door and found a small concrete garden frog. Picking it up she started to swing her arm forward toward the glass in the door.

  Daisy covered her ears, not wanting to hear the loud crash of glass. Bethann held her breath and cracked the frog against the panel. The glass cracked but didn’t fall apart. Releasing her breath, Bethann set the frog down.

  “I think we can tap the glass out now, it will make less noise.” Bethann bent forward and raised her left hand. Before she could touch the door a gnarled hand burst through the broken panel, swiping at Bethann and catching her on the chin.

  Daisy screamed, pulling Bethann away from the door, “Let’s go!”

  The smell of infection followed them down the row of houses. They didn’t bother to check the rest of the houses, too afraid of what they would find inside.

  They ran through a few block before they came to another row of houses. “Daisy, do you know anyone who lives here?”

  Daisy shook her head, “No, Sorry.”

  “We need to try a house again. I need to stop this bleeding.” Bethann looked to a house with an open garage. Pointing she said, “We’ll try that one. Hopefully the residents are gone.”

  This time Bethann reached for the doorknob, twisted the handle and swung the door hard, knocking it against the wall. Stepping back she waited for the smell of infection or the shriek that accompanies. Relief fill both of them when nothing happened. They stepped through the door, shutting it tight behind them.

  “Let’s start with the bathrooms.” Bethann found a small half bath next to the garage door that held a few bandaids. She pulled them from the drawer and placed them on the kitchen table. Pulling Daisy along, they followed stairs to the second floor. They searched the rooms to make sure that they were alone, feeling sad when they found a nursery, hoping the family got out before anyone was infected.

  “How about in here?” Daisy pointed to the large master bedroom. “That is where my mom and dad kept all of our emergency stuff.” At the mention of her parents, Daisy dropped her hand and bowed her head.

  Bethann walked into the room, placing her hand on Daisy’s shoulder, “That is a good idea, thank you.”

  Bethann searched the large bathroom and found everything she needed to repair the damage that Ian inflicted.

  “Daisy, I need you to help me wash this out.” Bethann waited until Daisy came closer. “I’m going to need you to be really brave. More than you have been already. Do you think you can do that for me?” At Daisy’s nod, Bethann sat at the edge of the large tub and turned on the hot water. Instructing Daisy to grab a washcloth, they set to work on soaping and cleaning the wound.

  “I don’t feel very good.” Daisy’s voice quivered, “This doesn’t look good.”

  Bethann held on to her nerves tightly. She knew that if she started to freak out then Daisy would too. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed the small tweezers that were in the first aid kit.

  “Daisy, what I am about to ask you to do won’t make you feel good either.” Bethann made sure to look right into Daisy’s eyes, “We need to get the bullet out of my shoulder. If we don’t it can get infected and I will get really sick.”

  Daisy’s eyes widened at the word infection, “Like those people outside?”

  “No, it will get full of puss and make my blood sick. I will not change, I promise.” When Daisy settled down again Bethann continue
d, “I need you to to use these tweezers and stick them in the hole to pull out the bullet.”

  Daisy blanched at the thought, “Won’t it hurt?”

  “Yes Daisy, but I need you to do it no matter how much it hurts. Once the bullet is out my skin will start to heal.” Bethann showed Daisy how to use the tweezers. Mimicking the motions so Daisy could copy.

  “Alright, let's get this over with.” Bethann stuck a spare washcloth into her mouth and bent over the tub.

  Daisy took a deep breath then leaned over Bethann. Using a pair of scissors, she cut off the shirt that Bethann was wearing, leaving her in a cotton bra. Her hands were trembling. She tried very hard to make them still but she was so afraid. Taking a few more deep breaths, she inched the tip of the tweezers into the bullet hole. She stopped when Bethann flinched but knew that she had to keep going . She couldn’t let Bethann’s blood get sick. Daisy didn’t want to be alone. She pushed the tip through the torn flesh until it tapped against something hard.

  “I think I found it!” Daisy saw Bethann not her head. Using her fingers to widen the legs of the tool, she scraped the back of the bullet until they slid to the side, stabbing the flesh that surrounded the bullet. The movement creating a small geyser of blood to pour from the hole.

  She could hear Bethann breathing hard, the rise and fall of her chest making it hard to get a good grip on the wet piece of metal.

  “On the count of three, you need to hold our breath.” Daisy thought that if Bethann would stop moving for just one moment she could get it out.

  “One...Two...Three…” Daisy pushed the tip in and squeezed the second Bethann held her breath. Pulling carefully, she slipped the tool out of Bethann’s shoulder. The blunted tip of the bullet snug between the tweezers legs.

  “I got it!” Daisy dropped the tweezers and bullet into the bathtub, her hands slippery with Bethanns blood, “What do I do now?”

  Bethann spit out her rag. Breathing heavy she instructed, “Get the peroxide and pour it into the wound.” Once again she hissed as the sting of the anti-infection went to work on her torn flesh. She had Daisy pour the bottle until the sting faded. “Now , we need to get the needle and thread my skin together.”

  Daisy grabbed the curved metal needle with the thread attached to it and just about threw up, “Are you kidding me? I can’t do that!”

  “Please Daisy. I can’t do it myself.” Bethann voice was weakening. The loss of blood and pain of removing the bullet forcing her body to shut down. “I am so proud of you. Just a few more steps then we are all done.”

  Wiping the tears from her eyes, Daisy opened the packaging and removed the needle. “How do I do this.”

  “You want to turn the needle so it looks like a smiley face.” Bethann watched as Daisy positioned the needle. “Now, start just outside of the torn part of the skin. You need to start on one side of the hole and push it through to the other side. You are just going to keep looping it around, pulling just enough so the edges touch.”

  Daisy squinted her eyes in concentration, “This isn’t going to look very pretty.”

  Bethann laughed at Daisy’s comment, “I don’t mind. Besides bullet wounds should look tough. How would anyone believe me if I showed them a beautiful scar?”

  Daisy worked as fast as she dared. Making sure to wipe the blood away as she poked through the skin. Slowly, the wound was coming together, the flow of blood finally stopping.

  With one last wipe, Daisy announced, “All done!”

  “Bandage, the big one.” Bethann instructed.

  Daisy opened another package and pulled out a large square gauze with tape already around the edges. Carefully, she placed the pad over the wound. Sitting back she looked at what she did.

  “That was the grossest thing that I have ever done in my entire life.” Daisy whispered. Shaking her head, she gently pulled Bethann away from the tub.

  “Are you ok?” Daisy asked as she helped Bethann into a sitting position.

  Bethann’s shoulder felt numb but she knew that it wouldn’t last. Looking around the bathroom, she hoped that there was a very big bottle of pain reliever there somewhere.

  “Should we clean your stomach too?” Daisy pointed at the stains that were showing through the bandages.

  “Do you think you can help with that too?” Bethann felt weak and tired.

  “Well, I’m already full of your blood, what’s a little more.” Daisy went to work, carefully unwrapping the bandage that had been wrapped around her stomach. Once she got down to the gauze, she could see that it was a deep red color mixed with the crusty brown of dried blood.

  Bethann looked at her stomach and swore, “Sorry Daisy.” Closing her eyes Bethann said, “It looks like the gauze is stuck to my skin. It is going to be hard to pull off.”

  Daisy frowned, “Why don’t you get in the tub? We can fill it with hot water, just enough to cover your stomach. That way they will just fall off.”

  “I’ll have to get undressed.” Bethann stated, not sure if she should undress in front of Daisy.

  Daisy rolled her eyes, “I’ve seen lady parts before. I won’t be shocked.” Standing up Daisy reached a hand down to Bethann, “Unless you have something I haven’t seen before?”

  Daisy’s frank answer was enough to send Bethann into a fit of giggles. Which quickly sent waves of pain racking through her stomach, “Ok, fine, you're right.”Bethann took the hand that Daisy offered, “By the way, I don’t have anything to hide.”

  Daisy smile as she cleaned out the tub. Dropping the bullet into the wastebasket and setting the tweezers next to the sink to be cleaned. Bethann slowly removed the borrowed clothing from the lab. Grateful to be out of the dirty cloth.

  “What are the chances the female of the household has clothes to fit me?” Bethann asked Daisy.

  Daisy had set the tub to fill, “I’ll go take a look.”

  “Don’t leave the bedroom please.” Bethann asked as she started to sink into the hot water. The water was both soothing and painful. The ache in her muscles sang with pleasure as her stomach begged her to stop. Eventually, all came to an agreement and she sighed in relief.

  In the next room, Bethann could hear Daisy opening and closing drawers. Several in a row, indicating that she wasn’t finding what she was looking for. A few minutes later Bethann heard the slide of metal and figured that Daisy entered the walk-in closet.

  Bethann looked down at her stomach again and started to peel back the gauze as the dried blood flaked off in the warm water. Belatedly, she remembered the scratch to her chin. Slowly, she inched her hand to her face and winced when she came into contact with the cut. There wasn’t any blood when she removed her fingers. “I really don’t need to bleed anymore.” she muttered.

  “Goodnews! I found you some sweatpants and a t-shirt. Bad news, you will have to wear boxers.” Daisy started to giggle again when Bethann finally figured out what she was saying.

  Bethann smiled, “As long as I am clean and warm.” Finally free of all the bandages, Bethann cleaned the scratches. Happy to see that they were starting to scab over.

  “Go and wait for me in the bedroom, please.” Daisy rolled her eyes again and muttered something about being shy as Bethann lifted herself out of the bathtub. She towelled off, careful of the marks on her body and placed new bandages on her stomach. Feeling better, she walked out of the master bath in her new set of borrowed clothes.

  “Are we staying her tonight?” Daisy asked as she stared out of the windows.

  Following her gaze, Bethann agreed, “Yes, it’s getting too late to wander around looking for everyone else.” Going to the blinds, she closed them up, cutting out the last of the daylight.

  “How about we raid the kitchen?” Bethann offered, “We won’t be able to cook anything but I’m sure we can find something to microwave.”

  Daisy and Bethann made their way down the stairs and found a fully stocked pantry. Bethann opened the refrigerator and smiled wide, “How about a nice big turkey san
dwich?”

  An hour later, the girls were full and back up in the master bedroom. Locking the door behind them.

  “Do you want to get cleaned up?” Bethann asked.

  Daisy had already scrubbed her hands while Bethann was in the tub. “There aren’t any clothes here that fit me, I checked.” Pulling the covers back on the bed she asked, “Is it ok if we stay in the bed together?”

  “Yep, but I warn you when I am really tired, I snore.” Bethann’s fib made Daisy laugh. Bethann helped Daisy settle in and waited for the young girl to fall asleep. A few moments later, she pulled Daisy into her arms as she wept for her parents in her sleep.

  Slowly, sleep claimed Bethann too. Her last thoughts of Veronica.

  Chapter 36

  It was taking Veronica longer than she expected to get out of the tape. The friction of rubbing her hands on the gun was creating heat, making the tape sticky and pliant.

  “Damn it Ian, if I ever see you again, it will be your funeral.” Veronica knew it was an empty threat, unless he tried to kill her, again. “Well, it’s not my fault that I’m not a deranged psycho intent on harming anyone who is better than me.” She grumbled, then smiled, “I was raised better.”

  Thinking of her dad made her more determined to get herself out of this stupid situation. She didn’t want to admit that she allowed Ian to tape her to a pole but the life of her best friend and that little girl was worth the teasing she’ll get from her dad and new friends.

  New friends.

  New Family.

  Cody is amazing, all of them are but she had to admit she has a special spot in her heart growing just for him. You really get to know who a person is under circumstances just as this. Snorting, “Well, perhaps not circumstances like this.” Shaking her head, infected people she thought, “More like zombies.” she muttered aloud. “I meet the man of my dreams in a zombie breakout.”